Sisi ratifies Egyptian-Greek maritime demarcation deal

CAIRO – 10 October 2020: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi ratified the Egyptian-Greek maritime demarcation deal that was signed by both countries on August 6, 2020, in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

The decree of the ratification was published on Saturday that the state’s official gazette Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya to come into force.

 

On August 17, 2020, the Egyptian Parliament’s constitutional committee approved the agreement to establish an exclusive economic zone between both countries, after spotting no legal or constitutional violation.

 

The agreement creates a partial demarcation of maritime borders, according to the explanatory memorandum, as total demarcation will be announced through negotiations in a suitable time.

 

Ten days later, the Hellenic Parliament approved the agreement. The Greek negotiations with Italy and Egypt succeeded because they admitted that the Greek islands have continental shelves and economic zones, and not just national waters like Turkey perceives how the demarcation basis should be.

 

Turkey has been attempting to claim rights in the Mediterranean Sea gas reserves, although it is not part of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) so it cannot demarcate maritime borders with any state.

 

Additional reporting by Noha El-Tawil